Rail wheel



l. v. I'ROUTMAN 2,364,110

RAIL WHEEL Filed Feb. 8, I943 Isaac Vfiouiman,

IN I EN TOR.

ATTDRN EYE Patented Dec. 5, 1944 UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE RAILWHEEL Isaac V. Troutman, Altoona, Pa. Application February 8, 1943,Serial No. 475,147

roam. (01. 295-44) My invention relates to railroad, freight andpassenger cars, and other rolling stock, and has among its objects andadvantages the provision of an improved flanged wheel construction wherein the wheels are provided with steel tires operating on ball bearingsindependently of the axles so that the wheels of the car truck may havefree relative movement when negotiatin of the wheel structures taken inthe longitudinal plane of the axle but with the latter shown inelevation.

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3- -3 01' Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a face view of one of the ball bear- 1 ing spacer disks.

ventional. An oil bore 60 is provided in the hub l8 and hascommunication -with. a bore 62 in the axle Ill, thevlatter borecommunicating with a lubricant fitting 64 through the medium of whichthe lubricant maybe introduced under pressure for lubricatin the ballbearings 42, as well as the ball bearings 48. A cover plate 66 ismounted loosely on a boltBB threaded into the truck 24, with acompression spring 10 mounted on the bolt and interposed between thehead thereof and the plate66, to yieldingly hold the latter in itsclosed position of Figure 2. i

The hub 14 is made additionally secure to the axle l0. through themedium of set screws 12.

In operation, the tire 32 is mounted for free relative movement aboutthe axis of the axle It]. .All thewheels are similarly constructed so ithat the rims are independently rotatably mount- 6 ed on theirrespective axles. Thus the tires may In. the embodiment of the inventionselected a i for illustration,- Figure2 illustrates one end of an axlel0 upon which is mounted a wheelstructure l2. This wheel structurecomprises a steel hub l4 mounted on the axle l0 and keyedthereto, as atl6. A second steel hub I8 is mounted on the outer end of the axle I 0and is also keyed thereto, as at 20. This hub is square to fit in thecorrespondingly shaped opening 22 .in one end of the car truck 24,thelatter being more or less conventional in other respects.

An inner ball race 26 is pressed on the end diameter 28 of the axle II],which diameter is slightly smaller than the remainder of the axle .ytoprovide an annular shoulder 30 against which the race 26 is pressed. Awheel tire 32is mounted about and between the hubs l4 and 18, this tirehaving an annular flange 34 lying between flanges 3'6 and 38 on the hubsl4 and I6, respectively. An outer bearing race 40 is pressed inside theannular flange 34, and ball bearings 42 are interposed between the twobearing races 26 and 40. An annular flange 44 is formed on each flange36 and 36, which flanges lie between the bearing races 26 and 40 andbetween which the ball bearings 42 are positioned. i

The flange 34 is provided with two bearing races 4 46 coaxial with theaxis of the axle l0 and for coaction with ball bearings 48,Thesebearings function as thrust bearings for the wheel tire 32, theload being carried by the ball bearings 42. Ball bearing spacer disks 50are provided for the bearings 48 and lie between the side faces of theflange 34 and the flanges 36 and 38.

Lock nuts 52 are threadedly connectedat 54 with the axle ID for coactionwith the hub I 4. Th tire 32 has a rail engaging face 56 and a rotaterelatively to each other to compensate for variable distances traveledwhen passing over the curved track. This eliminates any bindingengagement between the flanged wheel tires and the rails, which is anobjectionable feature in wheels fixedly attached to the axles. In theinstant case, the axle is a fixed proposition, and

eliminates the necessity of costly journal brasses.

duced cost because of the free rollingnature.

of the wheel tires. Excessive wear of the inner faces of the heads ofthe rails is also eliminated.

so fully explain myinvention that others may,

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will by applying currentknowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions ofservice.

I claim:

In a railguided and supported wheel, hubs spaced on said-axle and fixedthereto, said hubs having annular flanges spaced one from the other butarranged coaxially of said axle, a bearing 6 race fitted on said axle; awheel tire having. a

second annularflange, radial flanges on said hubs overlapping saidsecond annular flange, a bearing race fitted inside said second annularflange, ball bearings interposed between said first and second mentionedraces, ball bearings interposed between said second annular flange andsaid radial flanges, a truck member supporting oneoi said hubs, locknuts threadedly. connected with said axle for coaction with the otherhub, said axle and one of said hubs being provided with a lubricantintroducing bore for admitting lubricant to the space between said firstmentioned annular flanges, said i first mentioned annular flanges beingclosely positioned on opposite sides of said first mentioned ballbearings,and a cap means covering the receiving end of said bore.

flange 58, the face and the flange being conis ISAAC V. TROUTMAN.

